Marketing communications. In technology-driven industries change is a known certainty and remaining current and up-to date is the name of the game. The pace can be ferocious and often blinds you to the sheer amount of noteworthy information, talent and innovation that exists right under your nose and in your own organization. Change is tough, not only psychologically but also creatively. In fact one comment I’ve heard regularly over the years is that very few companies have the creative ability to see themselves from the outside inwards. Making the right changes therefore becomes harder.

But this is where we at Sandberg Trygg come in. Take our latest client Transas for example. Experts in the field of electronic navigation in the marine industry, it was time to re-assert themselves in the face of increasing competition. We took a deeper look at both the product and the organization from the outside in and found a rich treasure trove of talent, knowledge and innovation. So we lay out the pieces of the Transas jigsaw and re-arranged them slightly to give them a stronger position in the market place coupled with all the sales materials and communications needed to back it up.

Sometimes a major makeover is not the answer, but a new wardrobe certainly works.

Transas has just attended Marintec 2011 in Shanghai. We’ll bring you more information on Transas and their China adventure soon…

Sorry about confronting you with yet another choice. Having just read an excellent article on decision fatigue, I realise there are too many decisions in your life already – and in mine, too.

Today, most of us are overwhelmed by the number of choices – from the huge ones that have been with us through the ages to the mundane. Or put it another way, from ‘Do we start a family with the person we’re currently dating?’ to ‘Do I want a small or medium latte?’ As researchers are discovering, once we get beyond a certain point, we make a decision – any decision, even a bad one – just to lighten the burden. Naturally, this growing phenomenon has huge implications for marketing. But that’s a discussion for another day. On that note, I’d like to thank you for actively choosing to read this short article.

Almost all B2B sales are built upon a personal dialog. But up until now most sales people have used static material such as brochures and product leaflets. And many PowerPoint presentations have been nothing more than a modern form of overhead leaflet. However, new technology is opening up completely new possibilities for meaningful conversations with customers.

Imagine that you want to produce a brochure that a salesperson can take to a customer meeting. Would you include a long and informative text or a short text that stimulates interest? The answer always is: It depends.  Some people love to read a long technical spec while others want the bottom line delivered within a couple seconds. And it’s highly likely that these individuals work for the same company but within different roles.

Now there are gadgets that turn this argument on it’s head and thus it becomes rather irrelevant: tablet computers.

Many salespeople already have an iPad or something similar. If not then it’s a purchase that many are considering. A tablet computer can be activated in a split second and is even suitable for using as a presentation tool during a working lunch. Who wants to lose those valuable minutes in today’s hectic world?

Indeed the tablet computer is a brilliant tool for producing brochures that are suitable for a wide variety of customers. When a salesperson holds the tablet in a horizontal position he or she can choose to show interesting offers which quickly illustrate customer benefits. Then all that is needed is to turn the tablet to a vertical position for a more in depth explanation in the form of longer text, technical data, links to animations etc.

With new technology salespeople together with their customers can take a unique journey together and strengthen their relationship in the process. And the customer can continue that journey long after the meeting is over. Maybe with some of those colleagues which are involved in the decision-making process. At the same time it’s worth being a little cautious. These gadgets are themselves quite magical but for customers the magic itself still lies within what you say and how you say it.

But that is what is commonly referred to as a ‘luxury problem’ wouldn’t you say?

Once I’d lived in this country for long enough to have learned a little of its history, I came to realise it has a remarkable legacy of innovation. Of course, I’d heard of Nobel and Ericsson, was vaguely familiar with one or two others, but the sheer scope of invention was new to me. Well, dear reader, I can tell you from personal experience that the tradition is alive and well. Take Sectra in Linköping, for example. This is a medical imaging company that, compared with some of its global competitors, is tiny. But what it lacks in financial muscle, it more than makes up for in brainpower.

The company’s latest innovation is Sectra OneScreen. Basically, this is a simple osteoporosis* screening tool that could save millions of women from a lifetime of pain. How does it work? Sectra OneScreen is offered to women as an additional service in conjunction with their regular breast examination. The procedure takes just thirty seconds. Following capture, the images are sent to Sectra’s online service for immediate analysis of bone density. The results help to identify women at risk. With early treatment, years of suffering can be avoided. Not that I know anything about healthcare budgeting, but investing in this solution must surely fall into the no-brainer category. A number of communications activities are in the pipeline for Sectra OneScreen. We look forward to sharing them with you in due course.

Osteoporosis (literally, porous bones) is a bone disease that leads to an increased risk of fracture. It is common in women after menopause.

Hoi An, a petit town at the heart of Vietnam’s ancient kingdom, lies midway between Hanoi in the north and Saigon in the south. Rickety French shophouses, still standing up to the savage seasonal lashings of rain and wind, bear witness to the country’s colonial past. As of course do the ubiquitous patisseries, laden with baguettes, pain au chocolat and a host of other mouth-watering edibles.

Knowing me, I was probably looking for a slice of France when Mr Duc’s wobbly sign caught my attention. It was love at first sight.

After months of travelling in Southeast Asia I firmly (and cockily) believed I’d become wise to its gung ho advertising culture. And yet here was a street sign, with its untamed typography and buoyant promises that snapped me out of my preconceptions and made me laugh out loud. So I turned a sharp left on the curb.

I never did get to meet Mr Duc. However, his wife and sister-in-law not only coaxed me into hiring a ”motobite”, but saved my life by giving me a crash course in the gunslinging ways of Vietnamese traffic.

Before leaving Hoi An, I asked the ladies why Mr Duc’s display carried no mention of the complimentary coffees I’d enjoyed, or the generous discount on the laundry service.

”No enough room on sign!”

A recent blog entry by one of my colleagues prompted me to write a follow-up on the landscape of visual sameness that pervades so much of B2B communication. Browsing through advertisements in trade journals is like taking a tour of some dreary Stepford suburb where the houses are more or less identical.

Grizzled men in hard hats for construction. Smart looking guys and gals in hard hats (always these hard hats) for engineering. Men and women in white lab coats for all things medical (and let’s not forget all those happy patients). And so on ad nauseam.

What amazes me most is that many perfectly rational entities (companies), made up of perfectly rational organisms (skilled and educated personnel) are so irrational in their approach to communication. They shout ’Look at me! I’m not like the others, I’m interesting!’ That’s when the audience enters a state of collective disbelief as they think to themselves, ‘You don’t look very interesting. In fact, you look and sound just like all the others. So I’m going to ignore you.’ Is it any wonder so many advertisers get so little bang for their buck? Trouble is, crafting a truly relevant message and packaging it in a visually arresting way is hard work. Accompanied all too often by strife (change is so much more popular in a powerpoint presentation than it is in reality). The easy way out is just to keep wallpapering the world with happy, smiling people pretending to be satisfied customers. So, are business pictures good for business? Absolutely, but only if your business happens to be selling business pictures.

Regi has now published the results of its survey Agency of the Year 2010. We are the highest placed B2B agency, coming second in the category “medium-sized agencies”. A fantastic result.

A huge thank you to all our customers who participated in the survey!

Why does the majority of B2B advertising look so dull? Why don’t more brands dare to let go, build on emotions and be different? Martin Lindström, author of the best-seller Buyology, puts it down to pre-conceived ideas about business people. They don’t have any feelings, are not affected by brands and are generally boring and conservative. The big question is whether there’s any truth in it?

Watch an interview with Martin here.

A short while ago we announced the agency’s relaunch in Stockholm. We’ve been underway for a couple of weeks now, working on several interesting assignments. (More on what we’re doing and for whom later).

Leading the way back East is Urban Ericsson, Copywriter, and Torbjörn Persson, Art Director. Both have long experience of B2B advertising spread over several different Swedish agencies, and have worked with famous brands such as Sandvik, Skanova, ABB, Ny Teknik, KPMG, Telia and Scania. So if you’re thinking about changing agency or are simply interested to see what a new face on the Stockholm B2B scene can offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Call or e-mail us at:
Urban Ericsson, +46-8-410 57 831, ">Torbjörn Persson, +46-8-410 57 832,

Anyone who’s walked past a building site in Stockholm has seen them. Bright orange and usually filled with rubble, they’re everywhere. Heck, even I’ve seen them, and I’m pretty good at filtering out anything to do with hard physical labour. That said, I take my hat off to Big Bag. As far as I’m concerned, these bags are sheer marketing wizardry.

I can think of few other products that also double as well crafted adverts. All the information you need to place your order – should you suddenly feel an urge to own a huge orange bag – is there: product name (simple, alliterative and descriptive), web address and phone number. But what lifts Big Bag to genius level is that the company’s customers actually pay for the advertising space. Think about it, every time somebody buys and uses a Big Bag, thousands of people get the message. You can’t beat that for a savvy media strategy! I’ll probably never buy one, but I’m still a Big Fan.